Lanterns for the Dead
by OnTheWingsOfFire
Summary: Together in death, two brothers have only one mourner. They have her respect as her enemies, but that does not mean she is ready to forgive just yet.


Something I conjured while sitting in my doom and sipping a strawberry smoothie (which was delicious by the way) while I waited for my next class to start. I haven't updated in a while, so I felt the need to just put something out there while I work on chapters for lengthier stories. The idea just fell into my head one night, and it just details a short scene I could see happening if Korra ever discovered Amon and Tarrlock's fate.

Disclaimer: I do not own _Legend of Korra _as it is undeniably the property of Mike and Bryan, for whom I have the utmost respect.

OooOOOOooOOOOOOooo

In the end there were no graves for these powerful men to rest, and on the day Korra decided to treat their deaths with honor and dignity, she was the only one to mourn them. A brief chill clung to the air; not quite ready to surrender itself to the warmth of the rising sun. As the Avatar, there was a trace of a firebender inside of her, but she was a waterbender in spirit; preferring to sleep in till the moon was once again dangling in the sky instead of rising with the sun as was the nature of most firebenders.

Today was an exception.

From behind her, Korra heard Naga whine as she sensed her master's distress. Petting the loyal polar-bear dog on the head, she was rewarded with a slobbery kiss.

"I'm alright, girl," She raised her arm and wiped away the polar-bear dog's spittle. "Just feeling a little sentimental today. Weird for me, huh?"

Korra forced a laugh, but it sounded hollow in her throat. Looking down at the bundle in her arms, she was reminded of what she'd come there to do.

In the South Pole, there was a belief that when a person died, their spirit wandered; filled with great sadness and longing as they wandered the Earth, unable to find rest. To guide the lost souls to the spirit world, the members of the tribe would craft lanterns; decorating them so they were unique to the deceased. Then they would light the lantern before sending it afloat in the ocean, and the light from the lantern would create a beacon so bright, that the deceased would follow it to the spirit world.

It was a silly tradition, one Korra had witnessed many times as a child, but she could think of no other way to honor her fallen enemies.

The grass was still wet with dew, but Korra paid it no mind as she propped herself onto her knees beside the volatile ocean. Surrounded by bushes, no one would notice her little ceremony, unless the eccentric hobo she'd met when she'd first arrived was lurking in there somewhere. Unveiling the pair of lanterns from the white sheet they had been nestled in, Korra steadily set their candles alight using her firebending.

Normally, her firebending was as rash and destructive as her personality, but not today. For this Korra wanted the assortment of yellows, oranges, and blues to be something beautiful and peaceful; out of respect for the deceased.

Two lanterns, side by side, one a blue as vibrant as the owner's eyes once were, and another a black shrouded in the mysteries of the man whom once commanded them. When she had first heard the news, she had set about crafting them on her own, but to her dismay, the master of all four elements was not a master at arts and crafts. Asami was the first to catch on to her dilemma, and no sooner had she properly folded the lanterns did everyone else decide to do their part.

Korra had insisted upon scrawling out the characters for Tarrlock's name upon the delicate blue paper, but she allowed Bolin to draw a (poorly but heartfelt) symbol of the Southern Water Tribe above his name. Ikki insisted on coating the pony-tail man's lantern with glitter, claiming the sparkles would bring everlasting sparkliness in the after-life. Jinora and Meelo added a colorful assortment of ribbons and bows, (although several times Meelo tried to eat the lantern and had to be reprimanded by Pema) and Jinora said something about the ribbons being a symbol of everlasting piece in the after-life…the bows were just there because they were pretty.

Staring at her mockingly was the black lantern she had designed for Amon, or Noatak as he had once been called. In Korra's hand were the characters for his real name, but nothing else seemed appropriate for such a man.

A warm hand had grasped hers, and Korra stared into the golden eyes of Mako as he smiled upon her. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, he wove his fingers around the material of his scarf before plucking a strand of thread loose. Korra watched as he bound the lanterns together with the single red thread; signifying more than glitter, ribbons, and bows ever could.

They had all nodded when Korra told them she needed to do this alone, and she could tell they believed it to be due to her not wanting to show any more weakness than she already had in front of them. This was only partly true, but Korra would never tell them the true reason.

She had seen the looks on her friends' faces when they realized she was making lanterns for her enemies, and their help had been a result of their friendship; something she was grateful for but would not push any further. They'd all been hurt by the incident with the equalists, even Tenzin's rambunctiously innocent children. There had also been Tarrlock and his manipulative ways, and the fear he had struck into everyone when he had taken Korra.

Resentment was evidently still plastered on their hearts, and even Korra still harbored some resentment towards the men that had once been her enemies.

One brother had once held her trust before revealing himself to be a cunning and deceitful snake, and when she underestimated him, he tied her up and took her hostage; scaring her into believing she'd never see her friends again.

Yet it was the other brother that had terrified her the most.

He had taken a piece of her soul she'd never thought she'd find again when he severed her connection to the elements. Ruthless and controlling as much as he was powerful, he had waged a war between benders and non-benders Korra doubted she could fully repair; even as the avatar.

They had done despicable things in life, things Korra wasn't certain she could forgive. The two brothers were men that had committed terrible acts, however they were still _men._

The lanterns lit, they were set afloat upon the ocean, bobbing up and down as they went. Refusing to yield, the red string kept the lanterns together, bonding the brothers together in death.

Their sole mourner watched from her patch of grass, not leaving until the lanterns were well out of sight.

OOooooOOOooooOO

I feel like Korra would acknowledge that yes, Amon and Tarrlock committed several bad deeds throughout their lives, however I think a part of her would still respect them. In most cultures it's not uncommon to pay respect to a fallen enemy, and the Korra we see by the end of the first book I feel would honor her enemies.

Considering everything the others have been put through by these two men, I could see them still harboring some resentment towards them. While they help Korra make the lanterns, they do so out of friendship for her, not due to any respect towards Amon and Tarrlock. I also wanted the sending of the lanterns to be something Korra did on her own; she's changing a lot and needs to let go of her past self, and honoring her fallen enemies is a sign of this.

I can't say whether or not we'll see a more mature Korra in Book 2, but I have a feeling we won't. Change is a big step, and I have a feeling Korra still has a lot more to learn before her rebellious personality comes to a stop, if it does at all (which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing). The creators of this show have always been good with balance, and they'll probably find a way to balance out Korra's fiery personality with her gradual maturity as a person.

Please review and let me know what you think!

As a side note, yes, I'm pretty sure if you tied two lit lanterns together like this in real life, they would burst into flames when you put them in the water (Or possible before…who knows?). Obviously, I haven't tested this theory, and I can honestly say I don't plan on it.


End file.
